Managed security provider QuoVadis has established operations in New Zealand, in an attempt to capture part of the demand for online security and identity management.

QuoVadis was formed in Bermuda in 1999 to provide information security services to the global insurance and finance sectors. In addition to the new QuoVadis NZ Limited affiliate, QuoVadis already has an operation in Switzerland serving its European customers.

"As online business matures, it becomes imperative to provide secure electronic transactions to protect privacy and to fulfil legal requirements," said Tony Nagel, group COO of QuoVadis. "As an internationally accredited security provider, QuoVadis has grown alongside the needs of our clients' global networks of customers and affiliates. We now have the critical mass in the Asia-Pacific region to justify setting up a dedicated operation in New Zealand."

QuoVadis' New Zealand client list includes ASB Bank Limited, a 150 year old New Zealand bank, which is part of the Commonwealth Banking Group of Australia.

QuoVadis provides IT security services in support of identity and access, disaster recovery and business continuity, and vulnerability and threat management. Digital certificates are used to reliably identify users working online and to protect their privacy using encryption.

Digital certificates may also be used to create electronic signatures, which have the same legal value as hand-written ones under many national laws, including the New Zealand Electronic Transactions Act 2003. These signatures and timestamps are also used to create tamperproof records for government filings or data retention.